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About Us The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit association devoted to the study and enjoyment of numismatic literature. For more information please see our web site at coinbooks.org Subscriptions Those wishing to become new E-Sylum subscribers (or wishing to Unsubscribe) can go to the following web page link Membership There is a membership application available on the web site Membership Application To join, print the application and return it with your check to the address printed on the application. Print/Digital membership is $40 to addresses in the U.S., and $60 elsewhere. A digital-only membership is available for $25. For those without web access, write to: Charles Heck, Treasurer Numismatic Bibliomania Society P. O. Box 2058, Bluffton, SC 29910-2058 Asylum For Asylum mailing address changes and other membership questions, contact Chuck at this email address: treasurer@coinbooks.org Submissions To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@gmail.com BUY THE BOOK BEFORE THE COIN Sale Calendar December 11, 2021 WORKMAN BOOKS Watch here for updates!

 

Content presented in The E-Sylum is not necessarily researched or independently fact-checked, and views expressed do not necessarily represent those of the Numismatic Bibliomania Society.

WAYNE'S WORDS: THE E-SYLUM NOVEMBER 14, 2021

New subscribers this week include: Dr. Pedro Cano, courtesy Roberto Jovel. Welcome aboard! We now have 6,727 subscribers.

Thank you for reading The E-Sylum. If you enjoy it, please send me the email addresses of friends you think may enjoy it as well and I'll send them a subscription. Contact me at whomren@gmail.com anytime regarding your subscription, or questions, comments or suggestions about our content.

This week we open with three new books, a review, updates from the ANS and Newman Numismatic Portal, reader comments and more.

Other topics this week include Roman Imperial Coinage, Souvenir Cards, Global Certification Services, Medialia Gallery, Galvanism and Boyd's Battery, the Numismatic and Antiquarian Society of Philadelphia, auction previews, commemorative coin tab toning, the Lealana physical bitcoin, Dogecoin, Thanksgiving vignettes, and grandiloquent words.

To learn more about the numismatics of Paraguay, the Historical Medal Society, the Tyrant Collection, the Napoleon mystery medallion, The Combined Organizations of Numismatic Error Collectors of America, Dealer's Numismatic Association, Whitman Publishing, the Pierre Fricke Collection of Fugio Coppers, the "Comitia Americana" tray, the oldest English coin found in Canada, and the Archaic Smile on ancient coins, read on. Have a great week, everyone!

Wayne Homren
Editor, The E-Sylum

 

NEW BOOK: HISTORIA DE LA MONEDA EN PARAGUAY

The study of the historical evolution of events, phenomena or objects worldwide has always been interesting. Getting to know the history and origin of items will always be of importance for any society. This is how Raúl's new book was born, a research material entitled HISTORIA DE LA MONEDA METÁLICA EN PARAGUAY, in collaboration with Editorial El Lector.

Currency is part of the heritage of people and has represented over time; the ideal way to exchange goods and services, although this process has not always worked in the same manner. Currency marked a shift in the dynamics of markets and thanks to them several activities in this area were simplified.

Numismatics is a discipline that starts from archeology and that is responsible for studying the coins that are issued in a nation or country. It also refers to the act of collecting coins, even though they are not interdependent activities.

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NEW BOOK: HISTORICAL MEDAL JOURNAL 2021

The Historical Medal Society

After a successful Congress held in July at the M40 J15 Warwick Hotel the Historical Medal Society has just now launched its own website. It can be found at https://www.historicalmedalsociety.org.uk/

Collectors of all types of historical medals and medallions should find much to interest them on this site as it develops over the course of the next year. It is intended that more material links and articles of interest will be added in the next few months. The society has also published Volume 3 of its Historical Medal Journal a 64-page magazine containing a host of articles on all types of medal from Roman to the present day.

The HMJ is now gaining an international reputation with subscribers in Europe America and New Zealand as well the UK. Anyone with an interest in this fascinating field of collecting should consider subscribing. For further details see the website or contact the society at historicalmedalsociety@gmail.com

NEW BOOK: GACETA NUMISMáTICA 2021

Monterrey's Numismatic Society (Mexico) has published the Gaceta Numismática (Numismatic Gazette) in its web page (https://sonumty.org.mx/) and it's free to be downloaded.

The published articles related to Mexican numismatics are:

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BOOK REVIEW: THE TYRANT COLLECTION

I recently acquired two booklets published by the owners of the Tyrant Collection, one on US. Type coins which was recently displayed at the recent ANA Convention, and the other on U.S. Gold Eagles minted from 1795 to 1933. Each coin is pictured with a brief description but what is absolutely astounding is the condition of each coin. The vast majority are of the finest known or nearly the finest known with most coins, even 18th and 19th century examples in MS or Proof 67 or 68. The US type set booklet depicts 420 different coins while the US Gold Eagle book has 319 different Eagles displayed.

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COLLIER PRIZE: ABDY'S ROMAN IMPERIAL COINAGE

Winner of the ANS's Collier Prize Announced

In 2020, Carole Anne Menzi Collier established the Collier Prize in Ancient Numismatics at the American Numismatic Society, a new award offered for the first time in 2021. The Prize is named after her late husband Professor James M. Collier and commemorates the life of a remarkable man, an ardent lover of the history and culture of Europe and the Ancient world, and a passionate collector of ancient Greek and Roman coins. A feature on the life of Prof. Collier was published in ANS Magazine 2020, vol. 4.

This substantial monetary prize is to be awarded every third year to the best single or multi-authored book, catalogue, or online digital work in the field of ancient numismatics (650 BCE to 300 CE). The winner(s) receive prize money of $20,000, to be split equally in the event of a multi-authored work. For the initial prize, eligible publications were limited to those works published in 2019 or 2020. A jury of five senior numismatists appointed by the President of the ANS reviewed the nine works submitted this year for the contest and, after a protracted period of study and discussion, selected the winner of the 2021 Collier Prize.

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ANS MEMBER CIRCULARS DIGITIZED

American Numismatic Society Member Circulars Digitized

Scanning of ANS library and archival materials, sponsored by Newman Portal, continues at a brisk pace. Recently scanned were a set of about a hundred ANS member questionnaires, c. 1890. These circulars include rich biographical information and will be useful to students of ANS and numismatic history.

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VIDEO: SOUVENIR CARD COLLECTING

Souvenir Card Collecting Offers Rare Banknote Engravings at Affordable Prices.
VIDEO: 6:49.

Greg Alexander, Vice-President, Souvenir Card Collectors Society, www.souvenircards.org.
David Lisot, Interviewer, CoinTelevision.com. August 10-14, 2021.

Souvenir cards typically are mementos or souvenirs of a particular occasion, exposition, or hobbyist show. They are not postally valid or intended for use as postcards. Most are printed on high quality card stock using intaglio methods (steel plate engravings). Since 1981, the Souvenir Card Collectors Society has worked to promote this hobby and help collectors understand and catalog the many types of souvenir cards in existence. More than 1,000 varieties of intaglio souvenir cards have been issued since 1960 and hundreds more non-intaglio varieties. The Society maintains an ongoing numbering system as new cards are issued.

An excerpt of the video is available for viewing on the Coin Television YouTube Channel at:
https://youtu.be/5H5lNJP2LkI

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MORE ON THE NAPOLEON MYSTERY MEDALLION

The July 4, 2021, issue of The E-Sylum had a mystery medal with a rider on a horse. Chip Howell saw a similarity to the painting of Washington Crossing the Alps. I thought the differences were significant.

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MORE ON JEAN COHEN'S LINCOLN CENT BOOK

I first had the pleasure of meeting Jean Cohen in early 2013. Jean contacted me as president of CONECA to work out the details of donating her book ‘The Classification and Value of Errors on the Lincoln Cent' to CONECA.

Jean's original email to me stated the following:

Both sides wanted to meet so we could work out the details of the donation. Jean, Gary Lewis, her husband Don, my mother and myself meet at her home in Bonita Springs and as we began to talk about errors and our love for the hobby and CONECA she realized the donation would in fact be in good hands and by the end of the meeting she had donated all copyrights to the book, her compete collection of Lincoln cents that were the reference coins to those listed in the book and an additional $500.

As the steward of the collection for CONECA, very few have had any access to the coins because of the cataloging method she used in storing the collection and even after all these years working out whom and how to proceed with any changes the collection is still intact as it originally donated. Below is a photo that I took of Jean, Don and Gary Lewis at the end of that meeting. (Gary Lewis left, Don Cohen center, Jean Cohen right)

CONECA also has been discussing details of how to re-publish the book for our members. Out of all the materials she donated was the original paste-up and one unbound copy of the book. She did not even retain a bound copy for herself.

We did keep in touch occasionally throughout the years until her passing. On a side note and what I still feel sealed the deal that day was during our meeting (Jean, Gary and myself), Myrna and Don went out onto the porch of their home that overlooks the Gulf to talk and connect. It was a surprise for them to interrupt our meeting to find out that my mother worked alongside Don's brother at the University of Miami Medical school some fifty years earlier. Our hobby is a very small community.

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
JEAN COHEN'S LINCOLN CENT BOOK (https://www.coinbooks.org/v24/esylum_v24n45a12.html)

MORE ON THE TRAVEL CAR COIN MUSEUM

 

Dave Lange writes:

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NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: NOVEMBER 14, 2021

Numismatics Knows No Borders
Regarding last week's addition of a subscriber from Inner Mongolia, Andy Newman writes:

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QUERY: GLOBAL CERTIFICATION SERVICES

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MEDIALIA GALLERY IS MOVING

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VOCABULARY TERM: GALVANISM

Galvanism. The branch of physical science dealing with electrical currents. It is named after Luigi (or Aloisio) Galvani (1737-1798), an Italian who is credited with its first observation (1791). Shortly after Galvani's discovery it was another Italian, Alessandro Volta (1745-1827) who developed the voltaic pile (1800) that lead to the primitive battery which supplied the current necessary for electrolysis.

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BOYDS BATTERY

The most famous of the medical batteries was the Boyds Battery. They are fairly easy to find and they polish up nicely. They were made with different metals that promised to create a healing electrical current when pressed against your skin. The galvanic properties were released by the different metals reacting to the moisture in your skin. Some people claimed that they tingled as they worked to draw out the bad energies from your body and replace them with good energy.

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NUMISMATIC SOCIETY OF PHILADELPHIA OFFICERS

The Numismatic Society of Philadelphia was formed on January 1, 1858, as the first coin club in the United States. Joseph A. Mickley served as first president. In 1865, the name was changed to the Numismatic and Antiquarian Society of Philadelphia. The Society was reported to remain active as recently as 2012.

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WHITMAN PUBLISHING SEEKS ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Whitman Publishing seeks to hire an editor to work on books in the antiques-and-collectibles and American history fields. The position is full-time and on-site in the company's Pelham, Alabama, office (just outside Birmingham).

A degree in a subject related to publishing (e.g., English, communications, writing) is required; and a strong background in technical writing, scientific writing, or cataloging will be useful.

For the main project involved in this position, the associate editor will fulfill all editorial duties, from macro to micro: project management (including managing processes, files, and people [freelance writers, subject-matter experts, and others]), writing, copyediting, photo research, editing spreadsheets and converting data to composition-ready Word files, and proofreading laid-out pages.

Read more here

 

COLONIAL COIN COLLECTORS CLUB 2021 AUCTION

Stack's Bowers Galleries is pleased to once again present a dedicated colonial and early American coins session in our November 2021 Showcase Auction. This year marks the 10th year we have presented this official auction of the Colonial Coin Collectors Club (C4), held in conjunction with the C4 National Convention. This year's sale features an exciting array of colonial and pre-federal coins, including long off the market collections, significant new discoveries, and well pedigreed rarities across a variety of series. The offerings span from Massachusetts silver to desirable state coppers and early Washington pieces, with many exciting items in between.

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2013 SILVER LEALANA 0.1 BITCOIN OFFERED

Stack's Bowers Galleries is excited to present a physical Lealana Bitcoin in lot 4151 of their November 2021 Showcase Auction. Graded SP-70 by PCGS, it is the very first bitcoin from the Lealana series to be certified by that service and will also be the very first piece of physical cryptocurrency offered in a major live auction. It features an intrinsic face value, or peel value, of 0.1 Bitcoin (BTC), equivalent to roughly USD$6,500 at the time of publishing. With a current high-bid of $7,000 and two more weeks remaining before it crosses the auction block in Costa Mesa, California, enthusiasm among aficionados of cryptocurrency and traditional numismatists is strong for this new and exciting numismatic category.

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DAVISSONS E-AUCTION 42

E-Auction 42, closing Wednesday, December 8th 2021, is online now! Print copies were sent over the weekend, if you are not on our mailing list and would like a copy please let us know.

‘Twas a dark and stormy time….

We received an unusual consignment for this sale—a group of United States coins minted in 1853. All the gold issues (the first $3 gold piece was issued in 1854), and a choice large cent. I became fascinated by what must have been happening in this year that usually has no particular historic resonance.

The year 1853 was a time of tension and uncertainty. It was an era where things were happening in the United States—the Gadsden Purchase of land from Mexico that expanded the southern parts of modern day Arizona and New Mexico, the arrival of Commodore Perry in Japan seeking trade and consequently opening Japan to the West, the Crimean War that resulted in the defeat of the Russian Empire and Florence Nightingale's introduction of modern nursing practices. On a more mundane level, Levi Strauss and Otis Elevator began business along with the predecessor firm for Traveler's Insurance.

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NUMISMATIC NUGGETS: NOVEMBER 14, 2021

Bruttium, Kaulonia. Silver Stater

Bruttium, Kaulonia. Silver Stater, c. 530-510 BC. Obverse: ??V??, archaic Apollo standing right, small running figure on outstretched left arm. Reverse: Incuse of obverse. Very Fine. (SNG 153/155). 7.33g.

To read the complete lot description, see:
BRUTTIUM, KAULONIA, SILVER STATER (https://www.baldwin.co.uk/product/bruttium-kaulonia-silver-stater/)

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CANADA'S OLDEST ENGLISH COIN?

An archeological fieldworker excavating a site in eastern Newfoundland has unearthed what could be the oldest English coin ever found in Canada.

William Gilbert, head archeologist and supervisor at the Cupids Cove Plantation Provincial Historic Site, says one of his colleagues found the silver coin in September, adding that research has confirmed it was minted sometime between 1493 and 1499.

It's important because it sparks your imagination, Gilbert said in an interview Wednesday. The coin, he added, is more than a century older than Cupids, founded in 1610. You just have to wonder when you look at this thing: how many hands did it pass through?

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COMMEMORATIVE COIN TAB TONING

Coins are toned when the silver oxidizes after coming into contact with foreign material and gases. The toning patterns and colors are determined by how the coins were stored, either as originally distributed or in their collected environments. Morgan dollars are known to have a textile tone from the canvas bag, and many examples display end roll toning from the folded ends of the paper wraps in which they were stored. Roosevelt and Mercury dimes can be found with a banded toning from the bank cards that encouraged account holders to save in the fifties and sixties. Of course, all silver coins can be found with target toning featuring colorful bands extending from the peripheries from years of sitting in various collector albums.

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THANKSGIVING VIGNETTES

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PANDEMIC EFFECTS ON BRICK-AND-MORTAR SELLERS

The effects of COVID-19 on the U.S. economy are far-reaching. Jobs were lost, businesses went under, entire industries were shaken to their cores.

One of the most pronounced effects of COVID-19 has been the push to move processes to the digital space. As a result, people are working from home, online shopping has skyrocketed, and physical retail spaces have been hurting.

So just what have been the effects of COVID-19 on brick and mortar antiques retailers? Well, it's a mixed bag of the good, the bad, and the ugly.

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VENEZUELAN ARTIST PAINTS OLD BANKNOTES

Venezuelan artist and medical student Elianni Di Gregorio is using old bolivar notes as canvas for her paintings as she strives to give them new value after rampant hyper inflation and successive overhauls saw them discarded.

Di Gregorio, 24, decided to paint on bolivar notes thrown away in the trash to restore some of the currency's former glory.

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GIZMO'S PAINTING ACCEPTS DOGECOIN!

On Facebook John Kraljevich writes:

To see the Facebook post, see:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10227998307962843

Mastercard partnered with cryptocurrency finserv platforms Amber Group, Bitkub, and CoinJar to launch crypto payment cards in Asia-Pacific, per a press release. The cards will convert digital tokens into fiat currency that can be used anywhere Mastercard is accepted. The initiative is part of Mastercard's global crypto card program, which seeks to support native digital currencies as payment tools.

Major financial institutions—like JPMorgan, Wells Fargo, and Capital One—increased crypto talent hiring by 40% in the first half of 2021 compared with the same period last year, per LinkedIn data. Facilitating crypto payments may therefore be an attempt to keep issuers tied to Mastercard's network as they start thinking about offering crypto services.

To read the complete article, see:
Mastercard will launch crypto cards in Asia amid heightened local demand for digital currencies (https://www.emarketer.com/content/mastercard-will-launch-crypto-cards-asia-amid-heightened-local-demand-digital-currencies)
Mastercard launches credit card with cashback in cryptocurrencies (https://olhardigital.com.br/en/2021/04/27/pro/mastercard-lanca-cartao-com-cashback-em-criptomoedas/)

LOOSE CHANGE: NOVEMBER 14, 2021

The Archaic Smile on Ancient Coins

ANCIENT GREEK COINS struck before 500 BCE are called archaic by numismatists. Actually, archaic features continue to appear on coins for at least another century or so. Male and female faces on many of these coins bear a faint, enigmatic smile, something that is also found in sculpture and vase painting from this era. For centuries, art historians have been fascinated by this Archaic Smile, and many different theories have been proposed to explain it.

An early example is found on a 2.57 gram electrum hekte (one-sixth stater) of Phokaia (or Phocaea), a coastal town in Ionia (on the eastern shore of the Aegean Sea). Dated to c. 521-478 BCE, the coin bears a female head wearing a helmet or close-fitting cap. The only female figure in ancient art usually depicted wearing a helmet is Athena, in her aspect as a war goddess. On the coin, her full lips are slightly upturned, and although the head is shown in profile, the large almond-shaped eye appears as if viewed frontally. This is a standard feature of archaic portraiture.

To read the complete article, see:
The Archaic Smile on Ancient Coins (https://coinweek.com/ancient-coins/the-archaic-smile-on-ancient-coins/)

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GRANDILOQUENT WORDS OF THE 19TH CENTURY

Have you ever been inveigled? Bamboozled? Have you been hornswoggled by lexiphanic rodomontade? Have you fallen victim to the flummery of an ultracrepidarian?

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